Their Little Wonder
by GallifreyDarling
Summary: After Bella and Edward marry, they find a lost seven year old girl who is a vampire. The Cullens take her in as one of their own, thinking they‘re doing the right thing. But will they see that innocence is not always present in the young…before it’s too l


_Their little wonder_

_They were married. Just like that; they were living their life together. Bella, a new vampire, and there Edward sat, patiently, helping her along. And then they met her, and they knew their life would never been the same…their eternity would never be the same. But they didn't know that the change might separate them- forever._

_If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.-Mitsugi Saotome_

_She sparkled; I guess that's how they knew at first. Oh yes, did she ever sparkle. They knew that glitter oh too well._

Bella walked, stepping in time with Edward through the forest. For once she was not tripping over the fallen tree branches in front of her. She loved her newfound gracefulness, her quickness, and her all around clear as crystal senses; she felt too alive. They walked deeper into the woods, the trees dense over their heads, and there was no need for words. They had forever to give them time to talk. The new couple was trying to get away from the community and relax to sparkle together in the sun, and just lay there until the day ended when they could finally return home to the rest of the Cullens.

And that's when Edward stopped. "What is it?" Bella said slowly, looking over at Edward anxiously. His eyes were intensely staring forward and were a deep golden color. "There's someone up there…" he said softly. "Let's just turn around then," Bella suggested, turning her back on Edward and starting to walk. "There are other clearings."

"No," Edward replied. His voice was now low and raspy. "It's not human."

Bella turned around again. "What…" she asked, peculiarly. "Edward-"

"She just killed someone." Edward was walking quickly now, toward the field. That was it: he saw the sparkle ahead of him. It made perfect sense. What was up there was-

"Edward!" Bella was at his side. She looked ahead and saw the growing sparkle as well. She knew instantly what was up there. "There was blood," she put in before Edward had the chance.

"I know," Edward said running now. Bella ran after him; he must have sensed something that she didn't. "It's a little girl," he blurted. "She's scared."

Bella continued to run. It was happening all too fast. One minute they were walking through the trees, calmly, and the next they were running to a clearing to see the source of the glitter they already knew. A vampire's life could change up too quickly, and Bella was still getting used to that.

The dense thicket of trees ended and the open field widened before them. The smell of blood thickened in the air and a secretion of venom entered the teenagers' mouths as they ran to the source of the sparkle. The more they ran over the small hill, the more they began to see the formation of a little girl sitting in the grass and a large lump slumped over in it in front of her. That's where the blood had come from.

Bella stopped when she saw the body, dead and unmoving, pale and lifeless. Had the little girl done this? "Edward, I-" She reached out to pull Edward back; there was a sort of anxiousness in the air. The little girl still didn't look up from where she was sitting, picking flowers, ignoring the body in front of her that she had just sucked clean. Edward pulled from Bella's grasp and bent down to the little girl. Her skin sparkled like diamonds, like his, and that pushed the bit of nervousness away from Edward. Bella watched as he then sat directly down on the ground in front of her, indian style.

There was no doubt that Bella, standing beside the dead body, and Edward, sitting in front of the oblivious little girl, were thinking the same thing: the girl's size. Her hair was white-blond and thin, put up in a ponytail. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. bShe couldn't have been a day over seven./b And that's what made Edward want to reach out and take her home.

And then…the little girl spoke. "You're just like me," she said smally. She looked up, her eyes a fierce golden color that Edward and Bella knew too well. It took Edward aback. She held out a small pink flower in her hand. "Here," she went on, "I don't have anyone to give one to." Bella felt her melt in her frozen chest. Edward took the flower slowly. "Thank you," he said softly. He couldn't just leave the little girl now.

Edward never felt so nervous and careful talking to anyone before. "We were just coming here to walk," he began softly, "and we noticed a sparkle that we knew…"

The little girl smiled brightly. "You're one too." She reached out to touch Edward's hand gently. She looked up at Bella next, who was staring at the body, and her smile faded. "I was hungry," she then explained. "I hadn't eaten in days."

Bella and Edward looked back at the body. "Y-You did this?"

"Of course. I was hungry. H-He tried to kidnap me…I ran him here….and attacked." The little girl looked back down.

Edward took a deep breath before speaking next. "Are you alone?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied softly. "I haven't seen my parents in Iforever/I." That's when it really hit Edward. Of course she wasn't Ireally/I seven years old. But who would bite an innocent child who couldn't even take care of themselves?

"Do you live with anyone?" Edward pressed on slowly. "No," the girl replied simply. "How old are you?" he then asked, the one question he couldn't help but dread. "In human years or vampire years?" Her eyes pierced his again.

"Both," Edward said softly.

"Seven, when I was bitten," she announced, picking at the grass around her, but kept her eyes locked on Edward's. "And I should just be nine."

Edward felt his heart ache for her in his frozen chest. Who could do that to a child? Especially in this day and age? Obviously the girl wasn't going to speak without someone speaking first.

"What's your name?" Edward then asked, feeling stupid for not asking the obvious question.

"Rachel." The girl's lips parted into a toothy smile. It was obvious her teeth should not be that white and grown in.

"Well, I'm Edward, and this is Bella." He motioned to Bella who was still standing beside the body.

Rachel stood up then, wiping grass off the back of her pants. "Well, I'm glad I met you Edward and Bella. I'll see you around then, okay?" She turned to scurry away.

"Wait, Rachel!" Edward was standing in an instant. He knew what he had to do.

Rachel turned around. "The birds will clean up the body," she replied.

"No, no!" Edward then saw that she didn't even expect anyone to want her. "Rachel, would you like to come home with us? To stay?"

"To stay?" Rachel's eyes lit up, and Edward realized that even though she was a vampire, she still was a child. Who needed love.

"To stay." Bella came to stand beside Edward now and smiled. She knew this child needed love more than any other person on earth.

Rachel held back a little, moving her leg as to if she was about to run away; fear ravaged her eyes. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Edward said, his arms held out in front of him. "You need a family."

Rachel grinned, and ran to Edward, jumping in his arms. "Oh thank you Edward!" she cried, her little arms squeezing around his neck. "You're just what I need!"

Edward glanced over at Bella and they smiled; Rachel was exactly what they needed. They could have what Carlisle started. Rachel would be their little girl. Their little wonder.

"I can walk you know," Rachel then said.

"I know." Edward winked at Rachel, holding her tightly to him, and they ran back through the woods. Oh yes, Bella definitely wasn't used to this.

And behind them, the body rotted away, forgotten forever: Rachel finally had a home.


End file.
